Although it suffered significant damage to its gullwing door and near side front wing, the robbery attempt was foiled, and the car - which has no engine - is now on display at Brooklands. The Mercedes C111 broke new engineering and design ground in 1969, using reinforced plastic materials for its bodywork.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s it ran in several engine configurations, including with wankel, turbo and diesel engines. It never made production.

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Perhaps they were foiled by that ultimate antitheft device - the lack of an engine...

I seem to remember a film - german I think - called 'Car-napping' which did feature one of these cars being stolen - along with a whole dealerships stock of Porsches. Was years ago and I've not seen it again.

It doesn't make sense stealing a car as rare as this. You can't sell it, you can't show it. All you can do is hide it. Or maybe it was just a test and the robbery was not really foiled? (They planned on leaving the car there anyway, just breaking in was the plan)